by SJ McCoy
“The police are looking for him.”
“Good. I can tell them what the truck looked like, and what I remember of the guy when I arrived home.”
“They got a description from some kids who were nearby.”
Chance stuck his head around the door. “Is he awake?”
Beau smiled. “Come on in.”
Chance stood just inside the door. “How you feeling, buddy?”
“Like I got hit by a truck!”
Chance laughed. “Funny how that works, huh? Listen. I’m going to run back down the valley to get Ruby and bring her up here.”
Beau smiled. How about that? “Thanks.”
“I just wanted to ask you something before I go. Have you seen any more of Preston, since we ran into him at the Mint?”
“Yeah.” Beau thought it odd that Chance wanted to know about him right now. “I showed him a house and then told him he’d have to find another realtor. Why?”
Chance and Corinne exchanged a look he didn’t understand.
“What did he have to say about that?”
Beau frowned. “He told Wanda to tell me I’d be sorry. Shit! You don’t think…”
Chance’s eyes were narrow. He had that wild look about him.
“Don’t, Chance. Whatever you’re thinking. Don’t, okay?”
Chance gave him a long measured look. “Don’t worry.”
How could he not? He didn’t want Chance jumping to conclusions and riding off to exact vengeance. Beau couldn’t believe that Guy had anything to do with it.
Chance turned around and beckoned outside. His mom and dad appeared in the doorway with Mason and Gina just behind them. “I’m going to go get Ruby. I’ll be back.”
The others crowded in and Beau didn’t get to ask Corinne what that look had been about.
~ ~ ~
The next morning, Corinne woke up in Beau’s bed. It was the first time she’d stayed the night at his house and she’d slept here alone. Well, at least she was alone in his bed. Chance was in one spare room and Carter and Summer were in the other. Dave and Monique had taken Ruby home with them last night and would make sure she got to school this morning. The others all had work to get back to.
Chance had insisted that she shouldn’t stay by herself, and Carter had wanted to stay up in town to be near Beau. It was sweet to see how much he cared. He looked like a big tough guy, but Corinne had soon figured out he was a big softy at heart.
She lay in bed for a few minutes thinking about everything that had happened yesterday. She was convinced that Guy Preston had something to do with it. She was going to call that deputy, Luke, this morning to see what he’d found out. First of all, though, she wanted to go see Beau. The doctor had said they might release him today. She hoped so. She wanted him home where she could take care of him.
By the time they got to the hospital he was sitting up. His leg was elevated, encased in a cast from hip to toe.
He smiled when he saw her. “Hey, sweetheart.”
“Hey. How are you feeling?”
“Like I want to go home. Hopefully they’ll let me out soon. I can’t sit around here. I’ve got work to do.”
“Not for a while you don’t. I talked to Wanda, she’s taking care of your schedule. You’re coming home with me where I can keep an eye on you.”
Chance laughed. “So consider yourself told.”
Beau smiled. “Oh, I will. She’s a tough one.”
Corinne made a face at him. “I just love you, that’s all.”
He nodded and held his arm out to her. “Come here and give me a hug then.”
She went to him and perched on the bed beside him.
They all looked up as Luke appeared in the doorway.
“Beau. Good to see you up.”
“Well, I’m not exactly up, but give me a pair of crutches and I will be.”
Luke nodded.
“What did you find out?” asked Corinne.
“I went out to the Preston place to see if I could take a look at the truck.”
“The truck that hit me?” asked Beau.
“We can’t confirm that. It matched the description of one of the ranch hand’s truck. We got to know him quite well over the last few months. However, when I got out there and asked to speak with him, he’d left. Packed up and gone. Yesterday morning apparently.”
“Shit! I knew it!” exclaimed Chance.
“Slow down,” said Beau. “That doesn’t prove anything.”
“It makes it look a lot more suspicious though.” Corinne was even more convinced than she had been.
Beau shook his head.
“I’m not saying anything, yet,” said Luke. “Other than to tell you that I don’t consider this investigation to be over.”
Corinne was glad to hear it.
~ ~ ~
“My Beau’s home!” cried Ruby and came running to him. He was sitting on the sofa in the cabin with his leg propped up on a pile of pillows.
“There’s my pumpkin!” He wrapped her in a hug.
“Please don’t go away again. I missed you.” She planted a kiss on his cheek.
“I won’t.”
“I mean it. I don’t like it when you’re not here anymore.”
He caught Corinne’s eye and she smiled. “Neither do I. You gave me a scare. I don’t ever want to think about our life without you in it.”
He smiled. Then it was time. Except now of course he was house bound, dependent on her for anywhere he wanted to go. How could he work a surprise like that?
As if to answer his question, there was a knock at the cabin door. Corinne went to get it and came back with Chance.
He twisted his hat in his hands. “How are you feeling? I’m just coming by to see if there’s anything you need? Anything I can do?”
Beau grinned. Not only was he glad to see him, but there was something he wanted his help with. “How would you feel about springing me from here tomorrow?”
Corinne turned a stern look on him. Now he knew how Ruby felt! But he wasn’t backing down, this was too important.
Chance looked from him to Corinne and back again. “I’m up for it, if the missus gives us the okay.”
Corinne laughed. “How can I put my foot down now without looking like an old battle-axe?”
Beau laughed with her. “You could never look like one of those, sweetheart. But humor me on this one, okay?”
She nodded reluctantly. “But you,” she shook a finger at Chance. “I’m going to be holding you responsible.”
Chance made an exaggerated gulping sound and looked at Ruby who laughed. “Okay, boss lady.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Corinne worried all the next day about him. The doctor had said he should try to stay off his feet as much as possible. He needed rest and to keep his leg elevated as much as possible. He’d insisted he had things he needed to do, though, and Chance had promised he wouldn’t let him overdo it.
Shane came into her office mid-afternoon. “Why don’t you take the rest of the day? It’s quiet and I bet you could use some down time.”
“No. Thanks, but I’m better off here, staying busy.”
“Go on,” he insisted. “Why don’t you go home? You’ve got to be exhausted taking care of that brother of mine.”
She smiled. “I don’t mind at all. I’m glad he’s with me.”
“So am I and I know he is. Go home have a rest, then you might be able to enjoy the evening with him when he gets back.”
“Okay, then. I will. I think I’ll make him a lasagna for dinner, it’s his favorite.”
Shane grinned. “You spoil him.”
She shrugged. “I love him.” She kept surprising herself by declaring to anyone who would listen that she loved him. She certainly wasn’t afraid of letting her feelings be known.
It felt odd to be home alone. She wasn’t sure she liked it anymore. She’d grown used to having Beau around. She thought about calling him to see how he was doing, but she didn’t
want to nag. He was a grown man; he didn’t need her reminding him to take it easy. And Chance would look out for him, she knew that. She loved the way the two of them had gotten so close lately.
Her cell phone rang and she ran to get it.
“Hey, sweetheart.”
“Hey. I hope you’re calling to tell me you’re on the way home?”
He laughed. “Almost, but we’re going to stop in to see my folks on the way back. I wondered if you and Ruby would meet us up there?”
“Okay.” She’d rather he came home to get some rest, but she could hardly tell him not to go see his parents. “What time do you think you’ll be there?”
“We shouldn’t be long now. How about I call you when we get there.”
“Okay, I’ll see you in a little while.”
“I love you.”
“And I love you.”
~ ~ ~
Beau hung up and grinned at Chance. “She’s going to come up when I call her.”
Chance grinned back. “Good, that’ll give us time to make sure everyone’s there.”
When they got to the big house, his dad led him through to the living room and made him sit on the sofa. His mom brought some cushions and piled them under his foot.
His dad squatted down beside him. “I’m so glad you wanted to do this here, son.”
He nodded. “Me too. I don’t know, but for years I’ve felt as though I was somehow on the outside. Not quite one of the family in the same way as everyone else…”
“I know. And I’m sorry. I don’t know what I did to ever make you feel that way.”
“You didn’t, Dad. It was me, only me. I did it to myself. What matters now is that I can see it, and I’ve changed it. Corinne played a big part in helping me come around.”
“And Ruby,” said his dad with a smile.
“Yep, definitely. And they’re my family now. I want to do this here, with all of you, because it will lay the foundation for my new family as part of our big family. I don’t want to feel distant anymore. I don’t want to be distant anymore.”
“You’re coming home in more ways than one, aren’t you?”
Beau nodded. “In every way. I want to build a house down by the cottage.”
His dad grinned as his mom came back to join them. “Did I hear that right?”
“Yeah. What do you think? Can you stand to have us as neighbors?”
She hugged him. “It’s what I was hoping for, Beau! We’ll have you on our doorstep and…” she smiled. “I’ll get to play with Ruby more.”
“You really love her, don’t you?”
She nodded enthusiastically. “I do! I know she’s not blood, but she is my first granddaughter!”
Beau nodded. “Yeah. I know where you’re coming from.”
His dad held his gaze. “And I hope you understand now where I’ve been coming from all these years.”
Beau hugged him. He knew he was talking about Chance and he really did understand now. It had taken Ruby to help him, but he’d finally gotten there.
“Are you going to call her yet?” called Cassidy. “We’ve got everything ready in here, and I for one am going to burst if we have to wait any longer.”
Beau smiled at her. He knew she hadn’t thought much of him in the beginning, but it seemed they were all growing in their understanding of each other—and their love for each other, as the family evolved. “Okay, bossy boots. I wanted to wait for Wanda to get here.”
Cassidy’s eyes widened and for a moment he thought he’d offended her, maybe it was too soon to start teasing like that? He was relieved when she laughed.
“So it’s like that, is it? The gloves are off now?”
He grinned, knowing he’d no doubt take some crap from her in the weeks and months to come. “They sure are.”
She grinned back. “Game on!”
“And I’m already here!” Wanda appeared from the kitchen. “So will you get on and call her up here? Or I’m going to burst, too!”
“Hey, Wanda!” He held his arm out to her for a hug, but she waved a hand at him, looking embarrassed. “You can save that for later. Get on with it, would you?”
He laughed and looked around at everyone. “Okay, here goes.” He fished his phone out of his pocket.
“Hey,” Corinne answered, “are you back yet?”
“Yeah. Do you want to come up?”
“We’ll be there in a few minutes.”
As he hung up he looked around at his family. This felt so good. So right. He’d spent so many years keeping them out. He’d kept the doors to his heart locked as well as the doors to his house and his office. It had taken Corinne and Ruby to help him unlock them. Now he felt as though he was throwing the doors wide open and letting not only the two of them, but his whole family back in.
Chance caught his eye and nodded. He’d never have believed that the two of them could become so close. He had something he wanted to spring on him, too. But first and most important was Corinne.
“She’s coming,” cried Summer who was peeking out of the window.
Beau’s heart began to race. He was really going to do this!
His mom went to the door and let them in.
“Come on through, he’s lounging around on the sofa.”
Corinne laughed and came to him. Ruby let go of her hand and ran over, climbing up beside him to plant a kiss on his cheek. He hugged her tight then pulled Corinne to him with his free arm. This was where he wanted to be—with the two of them, and surrounded by his family.
“Are you okay?” Corinne asked.
He looked up into her eyes. “Never been better.”
She gave him a puzzled look. “Are you sure?” She looked around at everyone. “Is someone going to tell me what’s going on?” She looked at Chance, but he jerked his head toward Beau.
She turned back to him and he smiled. “I’ve got something to tell you and something to ask you.”
Her eyes grew wide as he fished in his pocket for the ring. “What I need to tell you is that you’ve made me the happiest man alive. I thought I was doing okay until I met you. I didn’t know just how lost I was. I’d closed myself off from my family and my feelings. You…” he smiled at Ruby, “…and my little pumpkin here, helped me open up my eyes and my heart. I can never thank you enough.” He tried to swallow the lump in his throat, but it wouldn’t quite go away. “But I would like to spend the rest of my life trying.”
He saw tears well up in her eyes as he flipped the box open and held it up to her. “I can’t exactly go down on one knee right now, but I love you Corinne. I love you with all my heart.” He couldn’t help it, he grinned over at Wanda and Cassidy. “Yes, I do have one!” That had everyone laughing. He turned back to Corinne. “What I’m trying to say is, will you marry me?”
“Yesss!” cried Ruby, making everyone laugh again.
Corinne smiled through her tears as she nodded. “Yes.” She wiped at her tears. “Yes, I will.”
He felt as though his heart might burst, it was so full of happiness. He slid the ring out of the box and onto her finger. She threw her arms around his neck and Ruby wrapped her arms around both of them as everyone cheered.
~ ~ ~
Corinne wiped her eyes as the others congratulated them. She got lost in a sea of hugs and smiles. She was happy to become a part of this family and even happier for Beau that he was reclaiming his place in it.
Monique came and hugged her. “Will you be my grandma now?” Ruby asked her.
“If that’s okay with your mommy?”
Corinne nodded. “I’d love that!”
Ruby beamed. “I have a new grandma. And a new Grandpa Dave, and my Beau.” She looked up at Monique. “A Beau is better than a daddy.”
Monique smiled at her. “He certainly is.”
Wanda came to congratulate her and to admire the ring. She winked at Corinne as she took her hand and held it up to Beau. “Nice ring, boss! Are you still telling me you can’t afford to give me a raise
?”
Corinne laughed. It was a beautiful ring and the diamond was huge. She laughed even more as Beau scowled at Wanda. “Think about it, would you? After I bought that ring you may have to take a pay cut!”
Wanda laughed and shook her head at him.
“Don’t worry,” said Corinne. “We can gang up on him now.”
Wanda linked arms with her and grinned at Beau. “Did you hear that, Mister?”
He groaned. “What have I done?”
Chance came and sat down beside him on the sofa. “The smartest thing I’ve ever seen you do.”
Beau smiled at him and Corinne loved him even more when she heard what he had to say. “I want to do another smart thing, too. But that will depend on you.”
Chance raised an eyebrow at him. “Name it. I’ll help if I can.”
“I want you to be my best man.”
Chance didn’t tend to show much emotion, but Corinne could see his eyes were glistening as he nodded. “I’d love to.”
She smiled to herself as they gave each other one of those awkward man hugs before Chance stood up and nodded. She realized everyone else was watching them too, and she knew that between Beau choosing to ask her to marry him here with all his family present and the moment he and Chance had just shared, this family was healed. Beau had come home, in every sense.
Gina came and hugged her then pecked Beau on the cheek. “I told you so.”
“You told him what?” asked Corinne.
“That there would be four Remington weddings this year.”
Beau smiled. “We’ll have to see about the timing on ours. We’ll do whatever Corinne wants.”
“I think you should all go for one big celebration,” said Wanda. “One weekend, four big weddings, right here at the ranch!” She stopped herself and looked around. “Sorry, not that it’s any of my business.”
Beau laughed. “Don’t get carried away, Wanda.”
“I think it’s a great idea!” said Cassidy. “Wouldn’t that be awesome?”
Monique smiled. “It’d work for us. We’re going to leave town after Mason and Gina’s wedding. Of course we’ll come back for the rest of you when you set a date.”
